to put something into an empty space or container until no more can be added
She filled the glass with water until it overflowed.
The attendant fills the car's tank at the gas station every morning.
✦ Old English ‘fyllan’, from Germanic roots meaning ‘to make full’.
to become full
The theatre quickly filled as the lights dimmed.
Her eyes filled with tears when she heard the news.
✦ Same origin as transitive form, from Old English ‘fyllan’.
to occupy space, time, or a role completely
Soft music fills the house during the holidays.
She was chosen to fill the vacant chair on the board.
✦ Extended sense of occupying space developed in Middle English.
an amount of something that is enough to satisfy or to make someone or something full
After three slices of pizza, he had his fill.
The dog drank its fill of water after the long run.
✦ From the verb sense, first recorded as a noun meaning ‘the act of filling’ in the 14th century.
earth, sand, or other loose material used to raise ground level or to fill a hole
The contractor ordered more fill to level the backyard.
Heavy trucks delivered loads of fill to the construction site.
✦ Specialized engineering use recorded from the 19th century.
a thick paste or powder used for filling cracks, holes, or gaps in surfaces such as walls or wood before painting or finishing.
Apply some wood filler to the scratches before sanding.
The dentist used tooth filler to repair the cavity.
✦ From Middle English 'filler', agent noun from 'fillen' ('to fill'), first used in the 15th century.
